PPG RRB: Bittersweet Memories: Preview...?

New preview! *laughs evilly*

Why one so soon, you ask? Because I have so many reds and greens stories, I felt it was time to do another one with the blues!

So yeah, read and let me know: sooner or later!

Summary: She reached for the chocolates, and their hands touched. They met eyes briefly; his dark-blue eyes sparking slightly as he stared at her. Then he nodded. She blushed and quickly pulled her hands away. He reminded her so much of the past... Rated T, R&R!

Bubbles loved the candy shop just around the corner from her school. She used to visit all the time as a kid. There was a boy her age who worked there, with bright blue eyes and shining blond hair. Bubbles always blushed when she saw him and got nervous of talking to him.

He was super nice to her though. He often let her try out new candies, and she could only ever nod when he asked her if she liked it. But the smile on his face when she said that she liked it made her feel happy inside.

But then one day, the candy shop closed.

It was a day drenched in heavy rain. Bubbles had had a bad day at school. Mr. Fickleson had caught her talking during class and given her detention. He was a really strict teacher, and detention had been spent working on math problems. Bubbles' brain still hurt just thinking back to the questions.

He'd also given her a lecture on being polite and listening to the teacher, all of which Bubbles already knew. She'd only been talking because Princess said she'd heard news about the sweet shop that Bubbles loved so much. But thanks to being caught, Bubbles hadn't learned what had happened.

Besides being caught talking, the day was spent with Flash teasing her when he could during class. Buttercup punched him in the face and got in trouble too. Blossom gave them a lecture.

Bubbles was closing her locker, relieved that the school day was finally over. Detention had taken much longer than she'd expected, what with the probably dozens of pages of math she'd been assigned. Bubbles had just dumped her math books into the locker, and was slinging her blue bag over her shoulder.

It was already 5:40. If she wanted to get to the to the shop before it closed and see what the big news was, she had to be quick.

Bubbles rushed to the school doors, pushing them open. She was surprised to see Princess waiting for her. Rain splattered the pavement around them.

"Hi, Prinny," Bubbles greeted, reaching for the umbrella in her bag.

"You're out of detention?" Princess peeked through the halls to double-check and see if Mr. Fickleson was lurking anywhere. Then her black eyes met Bubbles'.

Bubbles nodded, opening her umbrella. "Yeah. It took longer than expected because he gave me so much math homework."

Princess managed to nod, her eyes still resting uneasily on the inside of the school. She bit her lip. Her sleek black umbrella was drenched in rain.

Bubbles tilted her head to the side. "What's wrong?" she asked. It wasn't like Princess to stand out in the rain and let her clothes be soaked. "How long have you been waiting here?"

Princess furrowed her brow. "I went home and rested before coming back. I've only been waiting for a few minutes." She shook her head and wet strands of her puffy red hair plastered themselves to her face.

"You should go home. It's raining really heavily," Bubbles remarked, holding her umbrella up. It was immediately covered in rainwater.

"I know, but..." Princess paused, drawing her yellow-and-purple coat closer around herself. "About the news..."

"Go on home, Princess. I'll find out for myself!" Bubbles waved, already dashing off.

Princess' head snapped upwards. "Bubbles, wait...!"

But the girl with blue eyes didn't stop running. Something about Princess' tone made Bubbles feel curious, and she wanted to check on the shop as soon as possible.

She had been walking with her blue-and-white polka-dotted umbrella for a few minutes, trying to ignore the cold. The rainwater splashed against her skin like prickly tendrils, and she was splashed with water. Her clothes and shoes were soaked. But Bubbles reminded herself of the smiling boy and all the candies that would be waiting for her.

When she got to the candy store, however, the building was dark. The usual colours suddenly seemed dark and brooding, shadows making it look unwelcoming. Bubbles approached the door and stared at the sign in front of it. It read "closed".

She peeked inside and could just make out shiny glass jars of sweets in the darkness of the store. Bubbles watched for a few moments, before sighing. She was about to leave when something caught her eye, however. It was a moving silhouette in the darkness.

Feeling a brief burst of happiness, Bubbles paused and knocked on the door. The shadow stopped moving and seemingly looked up. From the small amount of light, she could just make out clear blue eyes. It's him!

There was a brief moment of silence where neither of them moved. Bubbles wondered why he wasn't opening the door. His eyes seemed sad.

But then he walked over and she heard a clicking noise as the door unlocked. Bubbles pushed it open and walked inside. The usually cheerful shop looked glum, and the rain pattering outside didn't help.

She looked around, but couldn't find the boy anywhere. So she sat down on a stool near the counter of the treats section, sighing lightly. The only light in the store came from the window.

After almost four minutes, Bubbles got up to leave. But then someone spoke: "Sorry about the delay. I was getting ready to close shop."

Relieved, Bubbles looked up and saw the boy she'd been waiting for. "Hi!" she greeted.

"Hey," he replied, stacking boxes before shoving them away.

Bubbles eyed the boxes in curiosity. "What are those for?" she inquired.

He waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind that. What would you like to order?"

"Y-You don't have to make anything if you're closing." Bubbles blushed, remembering her shyness and the absurdity of her bursting in when the store was already locked.

"Nonsense. Here, let me make your favourite Blue Bubblegum ice cream*."

"Oh, thanks." Bubbles watched as he busied himself by making the ice cream.

He soon passed her the cone, and then made himself Blueberry Ripple. Licking his cone, he could make out how her mood seemed to lift when she got the ice cream. She was licking it happily.

"Is it really that good?" he asked, leaning against the counter.

"You mean the ice cream?" she mumbled.

He chuckled. "What else would I be talking about?"

Bubbles blushed. "O-Oh yeah. It really is good. You should try it next time."

He nodded back at her, smiling. "Why not now?"

"Now?" repeated Bubbles, feeling confused. "Could you really eat two cones?"

"Oh, that's not what I meant." He leaned over and took a lick of her cone.

After he pulled away, Bubble's face had grown redder than a tomato.

"And now you get to try Blueberry Ripple," he suggested, holding up the cone in his hand.

She blushed even more, if possible. But nonetheless, she leaned forward and took a lick. "It's delicious," she said shyly.

"It's sweeter than usual," he offered.

This made her face feel like it had caught on fire. "R-Really?"

"Really." He nodded, slowly leaning in. "Wouldn't you agree?"

She nodded. "It is good..." Noticing his sudden closeness, she felt her voice leave her throat. Bubbles scooted back as far as she could on the stool.

"Just good?" he repeated, seemingly disappointed. He noticed the new distance between them and pulled back slightly.

Bubbles nodded. "Umm...i-it's very good?" she tried.

He sighed, pausing. "I was hoping you'd like it."

She looked up. "I do!"

The boy turned away. "But not enough, it seems."

Bubbles felt confused. Concern prickled at her skin. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

The hurt on his face was evident as he glanced back at her. "You don't like me enough either, it seems."

"What do you mean?" Bubbles asked, eyes wide.

He sighed. "I've been waiting for you to come for around thirty-five minutes, Bubbles. You know we usually close at 6:00 on Fridays and weekends." He busied himself with organizing the boxes and not meeting her eye. "All my brothers left already."

"I had detention..." Bubbles tried to say.

"No excuses," he sighed, wiping his eyes. Bubbles was surprised to see tears. "I wanted to tell you the big news when the store was still open..."

Bubbles felt worry ripple through her as if something had just disrupted the peaceful water. She thought back to Princess words about "the news"...

"...Open for the last time." He finally looked up and met her eyes. His gaze seemed to pierce right through hers.

Bubbles' eyes grew wider until they couldn't possibly widen any further. She swallowed hard. "What...?"

"You heard me. The store's closing. Permanently." He turned away from her, checking things off of a clipboard. "Someone bought it from us. Mojo and Him were unable to keep the business going, what with the decrease in customers. But instead of letting the building be destroyed, they chose to sell it."

Bubbles felt choked. "You...You can't be serious."

His gaze hardly wavered. "I am."

She took a deep, shaky breath. "And what about you? Where are you going?"

He glanced at the boxes surrounding them. Bubbles followed his gaze, just noticing exactly how many boxes were scattered around the store. She held her breath as he said quietly, "I'm moving away, Bubbles."

Bubbles felt like she'd been stabbed. "What...?"

"Sorry. I'm leaving tomorrow. And if you can't come on time by then, I guess we won't be able to say goodbye." He looked up.

"I'm sorry I was late..." she whispered.

"It's fine." He held out his hand. "I shouldn't be mad. This might just be goodbye, after all."

"...Goodbye," she finally managed to reply, taking his hand. They stood in silence, holding hands. Then Bubbles began trembling. "Is this really how all your hard work is going to end...?"

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

"We can still save the store! I—" Bubbles looked up, but stopped when she saw his shadowed gaze.

"...It's too late for that," he finally murmured.

"But the shop—" Bubbles tried to protest.

"—Will open as something else. It's just the way things are. Big animals eat little animals, just like how big companies eat little companies." He drew his hand back, looking at the wall behind the counter, lined with shelves of jars of sweets.

Bubbles swallowed. In a sudden act of defiance, she thrust her hands out and grabbed his. "Don't you care about keeping this place open!?" she demanded.

His face flashed upwards, and she was taken aback to see tears. "Of course I do! I want this store to be kept open more than anyone else! Even more than you." His gaze saddened. "But I can't do anything about it. I've tried for so, so long now. I just can't. It's time to give up."

Bubbles froze, her hands falling away from his. For a long, long time now... She wondered exactly how long this shop had been destined to close without her even knowing it. I couldn't help.

He studied her before sighing. "...I have to go now, Bubbles. Goodbye." He walked over to the small door that served as the exit for leaving the back of the counter. "You should go home too."

Bubbles grabbed her umbrella, forgetting about the wetness of her clothes for a moment. She followed the boy outside, taking a deep breath. When they opened the door, they were met with lighter rain. The rain had slowed to a pitter-patter, and a rainbow shimmered in the distance. It did little to lift Bubbles' mood, however.

Bubbles found it ironic that the world was happier than she was, when usually shewas the cheery one.

He paused, turning to her and whispering in her ear, "I tried. I really did. But now I have to go."

Bubbles lowered her gaze, sadness etching itself within her heart. "How long will you be gone?"

"...I don't know."

Bubbles wouldn't meet his gaze. Her heart hurt.

"Bubbles..."

"What is it?" she whispered.

"...Thank you," he murmured into her ear.

And then Bubbles had been left standing there in the cold rain.

"Oh come on Bubbles. You gotta try one." A brunette popped a chocolate into her mouth.

"Yeah, you're totally missing out," a girl with brown hair added, blinking her bright orange eyes as she chewed on a candy.

Bubbles shook her head and managed to smile. "Sorry, BC; Bliss—you know how I feel about candy nowadays."

"It tastes a lot more bittersweet," Buttercup finished for her.

Bliss nodded. "Yeah, ever since they left..."

Just as Bubbles was about to reply, the teacher walked in, clapping her hands. "Alright, class! Settle down. We have new students; one which will be joining our class."

"We get so many of those," muttered Buttercup. Bliss nudged her sharply.

"This is a special case. Please welcome him to Pokey Oaks High!" the teacher continued.

"Ooh, a boy!" Bliss whispered eagerly, this time it was Buttercup who nudged her.

The boy walked into the classroom, and it grew so silent a pin could've dropped. Not that it did drop though. The new student stopped in front of the whiteboard. "Hello," he began.

"What the heck?" Buttercup muttered, surprise written across her face as she stared at her new classmate.

"Is that...?" Bliss added, trailing off as her eyes widened.

The boy had shaggy blond hair that was slightly spiky. It was swept to the sides. He wore the mandatory Pokey Oaks uniform with blue plaid pants and bow-tie.

Bubbles felt her breath catch in her throat. Is he the boy from all those years ago? The one who used to give me candies and would smile at me?

He surveyed the class until his gaze met Bubbles'. She felt her breath catch in her throat.

"My name is Boomer."

*(A/N: Reference to my fic "Hung Up on You"!)

So yeah! Let me know how you liked it and if you want it sooner or later!

I thought this would be a cute and sorta sad idea...